Wayne Knight

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Whether a blessing or a curse, actor Wayne Knight would be forever remembered as Newman, the annoying neighbor and chief nemesis to Jerry Seinfeld on the famed sitcom "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-1998). But aside from his enormously popular turn as Seinfeld's nefarious foil, Knight made a name for himself by appearing in a number of television series and films while lending his distinctive voice to extensive voiceover projects. He had notable supporting turns as one of Jim Garrison's investigators in "JFK" (1991), a DNA thief in "Jurassic Park" (1993) and the assistant district attorney who examines Sharon Stone during her infamous leg crossing scene in "Basic Instinct" (1992). From there, he began his long run on "Seinfeld" while simultaneously playing the uninformed officer Don Orville on "3rd Rock from the Sun" (NBC, 1996-2001). Knight also voiced characters in animated films like "Hercules" (1997), "Tarzan" (1999) and "Toy Story 2" (1999), as well as animated series on the Cartoon Network. After "Seinfeld" ended in 1998, he made a string of guest appearances on both dramas and comedies, including "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 2003-2010), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000-2015) and "Hot in Cleveland" (TV Land, 2010-15), and even reprised Newman on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 2000- ). By the time he had a recurring role as a CIA honcho on the British series "Torchwood: Miracle Day" (BBC One/Starz, 2011), Knight was one of the most in-demand character actors working in the business.Born on Aug. 7, 1955 in New York City, Knight was raised in Cartersville, GA, by his father, a textile factory supervisor, and his mother, a woman's apparel worker. He studied acting at the University of Georgia where he was an honor student, but left one credit shy of graduating to pursue a career as a professional actor. After earning his Equity Card at the Barter Theatre in Virginia, Knight moved back to his native New York where he made his Broadway debut in the long-running "Gemini" (1977). In between jobs, he worked as a private investigator to make ends meet and made his onscreen debut with an uncredited role as a gang member in Philip Kaufman's "The Wanderers" (1979). He went on to play a video game fanatic in "For Lovers Only" (1982) and appeared in a pair of dismal sex comedies, "The Sex O'Clock News" (1983) and "Porky's 2: The Next Day" (1983). Following another small part in the forgettable Deborah Harry comedy "Forever, Lulu" (1987), Knight finally began appearing in bigger high-quality studio films, albeit in limited capacity.Knight landed a small role in one of the biggest hits of the 1980s, "Dirty Dancing" (1987), and followed with a bit part as a college partygoer in the sports film, "Everybody's All-American" (1988). A year later, he snagged a small role in the Oliver Stone film, "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), before appearing in a more substantial supporting role in "JFK" (1991), playing an investigator on District Attorney Jim Garrison's (Kevin Costner) assassination investigation team. Meanwhile, Knight continued landing supporting roles in number of memorable films, notably with "Dead Again" (1991), where he played "Piccolo" Pete Dugan, and "Basic Instinct" (1992), where he portrayed the assistant district attorney who interrogates Sharon Stone during the infamous leg crossing scene. Rumor had it that the strong impression Knight made in that scene caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who promptly cast him in the role of the duplicitous Nedry in the mammoth blockbuster, "Jurassic Park" (1993). His evil dinosaur DNA thief met a memorable end by a screeching dinosaur that at first glance, appeared harmless.It was around this time that Knight was cast as irascible postal carrier Newman on "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-98), down-the-hall neighbor and sworn enemy to Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld). Though Knight himself did not join the show until season three, the character had been mentioned early in the show's run and had, in fact, bee